The full-scale dimensions of the machine gun dp 27. The machine gun of the Degtyarev system is the standard that defeated time

Light machine gun DP-27- automatic weapon of caliber 7.62, created by designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, to equip the Red Army with machine guns of domestic production, is a group weapon of the rifle squad, designed to destroy manpower, fire weapons and unarmored enemy vehicles.
Until the end of the 20s. of the last century in Russia there was no light machine gun of its own design. During the First World War, the needs of the troops were met by the purchase of foreign samples. The Red Army inherited from Tsarist Russia a small number of 8 and 7.62 mm Madsen machine guns mod. 1903, 8 mm Shosh machine guns mod. 1915, 7.71 and 7.62 mm Lewis machine guns mod. 1915, 8 mm Hotchkiss machine gun mod. 1909 By the mid-20s. 20th century these samples were considered obsolete and abroad were significantly upgraded by developers or replaced by new systems. The inability to replenish spare parts and imported cartridges every year steadily reduced the number of machine guns in the troops. In this regard, at the state level, it was decided to announce a competition for the development of their own light machine gun. After carrying out comparative tests (in which, in addition to him, Kolesnikov took part with a light machine gun, also created on the basis of the "Maxim", and with a prototype of the DP), the 7.62 mm Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun was adopted by the Red Army in May 1925 with air-cooled barrel (according to some reports, no more than 500 copies of this machine gun were manufactured). This machine gun was not light and mobile enough, moreover, due to significant alterations, it was not possible to establish mass production in a short time. It was quite obvious to everyone the need to create a completely new system original design. The competition for a new light machine gun was announced again.
In 1927, it was put up for the competition, designed in 1926, which won over other competitive samples in terms of a set of indicators and was adopted by the Red Army, at the time of its appearance it significantly surpassed all foreign analogues. Degtyarev immediately raised the bar for the reliability of domestic small arms, setting a benchmark for the next generation of gunsmiths. Also, this model became the basis for the creation of aviation and tank modifications.
The automatic machine gun works at the expense of the energy of the powder gases discharged from the bore through the side hole. The trigger mechanism of the striker-type USM machine gun allowed only automatic fire. There was no conventional fuse; instead, an automatic fuse was located on the handle, which turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. The fire was fired from fixed folding bipods. Open-type sights consist of a front sight and a sector sight, the base of which is the body of the magazine latch, the location of the front sight.
Food was supplied from flat disk magazines - "plates", in which the cartridges were located in one layer, with bullets to the center of the disk, the magazine capacity was 47 rounds. This design ensured a reliable supply of cartridges with a protruding rim, but it also had significant drawbacks: a large dead weight of the magazine (empty weight - 1.6 kg, equipped - 2.7 kg), inconvenience in transportation and the tendency of magazines to damage in combat conditions. The rate of fire was from 500 to 600 rounds per minute, the muzzle velocity of the bullet was 840 m / s (cartridge with a light bullet), effective range 1500 m
In rifle divisions, the DP was first introduced into the rifle platoon, but soon became a group automatic weapon of the rifle squad. The calculation of the DP consisted of two people - a machine gunner (gunner) and his assistant (sometimes called the second number). The assistant carried stores in an iron box for three disks or in a canvas bag. The calculation of a machine gun with 1-2 fighters allocated for a tray of cartridges could carry 9 magazines "on itself". In the cavalry, DPs were introduced into saber squads, in artillery - into batteries (for self-defense and air defense).
The DP's baptism of fire took place in the border units of the OGPU in Manchuria - during the Soviet-Chinese conflict of 1929 on the CER. As part of the OGPU troops, the machine gun also fought with bands of Basmachi in Central Asia. DP was used by the Red Army in the fighting on Lake Khasan in 1938, on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939, "participated" in civil war in Spain, in China, in 1939-1940. fought on the Karelian Isthmus. So to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War machine gun has already passed combat tests in the most various conditions. On June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 170,400 light machine guns.
DP-27 and DPM were used not only by the Red Army and allies, but also by their opponents. The DP-27 was most widely used in Finland, which, having received a large number of DP-27s as trophies during the Winter War, stopped producing its own machine guns. The DP-27 was so widespread in the Finnish army that Suomi even launched the production of stores and spare parts for Degtyarev machine guns. By 1944, the Finnish army had about 9,000 DP machine guns. IN postwar period it remained in service with the Finnish army, where it received the name 7.62 RK D (7.62 pk / ven.) and was actively used until the 60s. Later, the machine gun was widely used to train reservists. In Finland, the DP-27 was nicknamed "Emma" (as they say by the name of the popular waltz - apparently, the disk store reminded them of a gramophone record). And the DT machine gun (7,62 RK D PSV (7,62 pk / ven. psv.)) became the main tank machine gun of the Finnish army and was operated for many years after the war. In the Wehrmacht, captured DP-27 samples were used under the designation "7,62mm leichte Maschinengewehr 120(r)".
At the end of the war, the DP machine gun and its modernized version of the DPM, created based on the experience of military operations in 1943-44, were removed from service with the Soviet Army, and were widely supplied to countries and regimes "friendly" of the USSR, having noted in the wars in Korea, Vietnam and others. Based on the experience gained in the Second World War, it became clear that the infantry needed a single machine gun, combining an increased firepower with high mobility.
The weapon created by Degtyarev successfully passed combat tests on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Even now, the DP-27 and PDM are periodically used in local conflicts around the world. Sources used:
1.weapons-of-war.ucoz.ru
2.eragun.com
3.weaponland.ru
4. brave-hamster.livejournal.com

In the second half of the 1920s, despite the presence of the Maxim-Tokarev machine gun, the question of adopting a light machine gun, which combined simplicity and mass production, a relatively small mass and a high rate of fire, remained open in the Red Army. And such a model was created by Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev in 1926. With a total length of 126 centimeters and a mass of 8.4 kg, the machine gun was equipped with a disk magazine for 47 rifle cartridges. The sector sight is designed for firing up to 1500 meters. The DP-27 has an automatic fuse, and it is possible to fire from a machine gun only by tightly clasping the neck of the butt with a brush. This was done for safety reasons in order to prevent the shooter's fingers from getting under the shutter during firing. Although there were still injuries during the development and operation of the DP ... The production of a machine gun was deployed in Kovrov, where Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev lived and worked for many years.

V. A. Degtyarev, creator of the DP-27. www.gpedia.com

The first combat use of the DP-27 is presumably related to the conflict on the CER in 1929. By this time, a significant number of machine guns were already in the army. The DP-27 proved itself well during the fighting in Spain, on Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. However, by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Degtyarev machine gun was already inferior in a number of parameters such as the mass and capacity of the magazine (or tape) to a number of newer and more advanced models. But it is not necessary to say that in 1941 the DP-27 was hopelessly outdated. Yes, he lost to the German MG-34, but it can also be much worse - for example, the Italian Breda 30 machine gun. The magazine holds only 20 rounds, which is clearly not enough for a machine gun. In this case, each cartridge must be lubricated with oil from a special oiler. Dirt, dust gets in, and the weapon instantly fails. One can only guess how it was possible to fight with such a "miracle" in the sands of North Africa. But even at sub-zero temperatures, the machine gun also does not work. The system was distinguished by great complexity in production and a low rate of fire for a light machine gun. Therefore, at the height of World War II, the DP-27 was far from the best, but not the worst example of a light machine gun of the warring parties.

Soviet soldiers with DP-27. (proza.ru)

In the course of mass operation, a number of shortcomings of the DP-27 were also revealed - a small magazine capacity (47 rounds) and an unfortunate location under the barrel of a return spring, which heated up and deformed from frequent firing. Changing the barrel of a machine gun was also not an easy process. During the war, some work was carried out to eliminate these shortcomings. In particular, the survivability of the weapon was increased by moving the return spring to back receiver though general principle work of this sample has not changed. The Degtyarev machine gun of the 1944 model (DPM), unlike its predecessor, has a pistol grip, the design of the bipod has been slightly changed, and the automatic fuse has been replaced by a flag-type fuse. Since 1945, this machine gun began to enter the troops and was used in battles at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, as well as during the Soviet-Japanese War.

Machine gun Degtyarev modernized model 1944 (copesdistributing.com)

Back in 1929, a very successful DT-29 tank machine gun was created on the basis of the DP-27, which became the main Soviet tank machine gun of the Great Patriotic War. It was compact, had a folding metal buttstock and a more capacious 63-round disc magazine. The DT-29 could be used to fire both from a tank and by a dismounted crew. Almost all Soviet tanks were equipped with this machine gun - and for light amphibious tanks T-37 and T-38 it was the main and only weapon. In aviation, the DA machine gun was adopted in single or twin versions, and a significant part of Soviet aircraft until the mid-1930s were armed with Degtyarev machine guns as defensive weapons. But an increase in the speeds and survivability of aircraft already in the second half of the 1930s forced them to abandon the DA, replacing them with faster-firing Shpitalny-Komaritsky (ShKAS) machine guns.

Machine gun Degtyarev tank - DT-29. (cfire.mail.ru)

Spark of machine guns YES on a TB-3 aircraft. (aviaru.rf)

The use of DP-27 is widely reflected both in painting and literature. A separate place is the cinema, where the Degtyarev machine gun is presented both as an independent sample and as a “understudy” of another fairly well-known machine gun. We are talking about the Lewis machine gun, which was used in our country until the Great Patriotic War and is visible on the chronicle of the parade on November 7, 1941. In domestic feature films, this weapon is relatively rare, but the frequent imitation of the Lewis machine gun in the form of a DP-27 with a casing on is much more common. The original Lewis machine gun was captured, for example, in the film "White Sun of the Desert", where an authentic sample was borrowed from the funds of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Army for filming the film, which is present in a significant part of the episodes. But in the shooting scene, the role of his “colleague” is already “disguised”, with an artificial casing DP-27, which can be recognized by the machine gun bipod. In turn, the DT-29 "reproduces" the Lewis machine gun in the film "Friend among strangers, stranger among friends."

"White Sun of the Desert". DP-27 "in the role" of the Lewis machine gun. (liveinternet.ru)

Machine guns of the 1927 and 1944 models remained in service with rifle units until the end of the 1940s, when they were gradually replaced by a new machine gun of the Degtyarev system - RP-46, the key difference of which was the use of belt feed.

Soviet machine gun DPM

Despite the fact that the MT light machine gun was adopted by the army, by 1925 the problem of equipping the armed forces with domestic light machine guns still could not be solved. As before, the troops used a variety of production models in many countries of the world. True, the number of these weapons rapidly decreased over time.
To deal with the problem of equipping the army modern weapons, in 1921, a design bureau for automatic small arms was created in Kovrov. Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov, an internationally recognized expert in the field of weapons, headed it, and the well-known designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev became his deputy. Every year the team was replenished with capable engineers. Soon the design bureau became the leading center in its field.
Even before the official decision to create a bureau, Fedorov and Degtyarev in an experimental workshop began work on new projects of machine guns. Although all of these models, designed for a 6.5 mm cartridge, had an interesting design, they never went beyond the prototypes. The correct path was chosen only in 1924, when the decision appeared
on the use of a standard 7.62 mm Mosin rifle cartridge.
At the same time, it was finally possible to solve the problem of creating a light machine gun that meets the needs of the army and is suitable for mass production. Degtyarev developed not just an infantry machine gun, but a whole weapon system. Later modifications could be installed on aircraft and tanks. All were light in weight and simple in design with few moving parts.
In 1923, a prototype was presented - with tape feed and on two small wheels, without a shield. The following year, a modernized model appeared with a flat disc magazine on a bipod. After testing, which took place on June 22, 1924, the command recommended that it be thoroughly tested.
In the summer of 1927, in comparative tests, in which, along with the Degtyarev machine gun, almost all foreign weapons used at that time, as well as the German Dreyse 13 machine gun and MT Tokarev, took part, the Degtyarev model demonstrated its obvious superiority. For 20 thousand shots, it worked flawlessly, and after 40 thousand shots, the percentage of failures was no more than 0.5. Nevertheless, the sample has undergone further improvement. Degtyarev somewhat improved, for example, the bolt, gas piston, drummer and cartridge case ejector. In this regard, Fedorov's report of May 29, 1930 on machine gun durability tests is interesting. The most important parts were subjected to a load of 25 to 30 thousand shots, and the rest - from 75 to 100 thousand shots.
According to Soviet literature, the creator of this machine gun was called "Russian Maxim" along the border.
Under the name DP1928, the machine gun became the standard weapon of the Soviet infantry. There are different data about the time of its adoption into service. In addition to 1928, which is probably true, 1927 and 1929 are also mentioned. This obviously means the year of testing and the year of the start series production.
The DP 1928 light machine gun works on the principle of using the pressure of powder gases, has a fixed barrel and a rigid engagement of the bolt with the barrel. When the bullet passes the hole in the bore, part of the powder gases enters the gas chamber through the hole and moves the piston associated with the bolt in the rear direction. In this case, the shutter is disconnected from the barrel and the weapon is automatically reloaded. With the help of a special tool, the gas pressure can be adjusted.

About a third of the barrel protrudes from the casing, which is provided with holes for cooling. There is a cone-shaped flame arrester on the barrel. The first series of machine guns had cooling fins on the barrel, then they were abandoned. The barrel is interchangeable, but this is a complex operation requiring a special tool. W
The supply of ammunition is carried out from the disk store. Under the pressure of the spring, the cartridge is fed down through the slot of the disk. The capacity of such a disk is 49 rounds, however, for correct feeding, it is filled with only 47 rounds.
At a time when no army had a light machine gun with such a large ammunition capacity, except for the Lewis model, the Soviet armed forces had weapons for 47 rounds. Subsequently, this turned out to be a decisive factor, although from a tactical point of view, such ammunition was still insufficient. In addition, loading the magazine proved to be a rather difficult process, especially in combat conditions, and the magazine's flat body was almost impossible to protect from damage.
The machine gun fires only continuously. The practical rate of fire is from 80 to 100 rds / min. The maximum range of the bullet is 3000 m. The fuse is located behind the trigger. Pressing the trigger with the index finger, the shooter simultaneously presses the safety with the middle finger, unlocking the trigger. As soon as he releases the neck of the butt, the trigger is blocked. The sector sight is set at a distance of 100 to 1500 m in increments of 100 m. The length of the sight line is 616 mm. The machine gun is equipped with bipods fixed under the gas channel. If necessary, the bipod can be folded along the trunk.
This machine gun had advantages in the form of maneuverability, low weight, strength and reliability of the design. At the same time, there were also disadvantages, for example, the rapid wear of some parts of the shutter, heating and low service life of the reciprocating mainspring. The bipod did not give the machine gun sufficient stability. The military expressed wishes to increase the capacity of the store.
The biggest deficiencies have been eliminated. After numerous experiments, the designer Shilin upgraded the machine gun, and in 1944 an improved model of the Degtyarev DPM light machine gun was presented. This model had a safety lever, a pistol grip behind the trigger and a lightweight stock. During the attack, the shooter could hold the machine gun on weight at the hip. The recoil spring has also been improved. It became stronger and was placed in a protective tube behind the shutter, i.e., it was no longer subjected to extreme thermal effects. The barrel walls have become thicker and stronger. The bipod was carried back, which gave greater stability.
However, the ammunition supply system could not be improved. At first, a tape with a large supply of cartridges was envisaged, but this problem could only be solved when creating the RP 46 company machine gun.
The modifications of the Degtyarev light machine gun include the DA and DA 2 (coaxial) aircraft machine guns that appeared in 1928 and 1930, as well as the DT tank machine gun and the modernized DPM 1944 light machine gun adopted in 1929. Thus, at the end of the twenties, the Soviet armed forces they had not only a standard infantry light machine gun, but also a whole system of weapons, albeit in insufficient quantities.

Dp-27

Aviation machine guns with a pistol grip, a modified butt and a 63-round magazine were installed mainly on bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Tank machine guns were equipped with a retractable butt, a more massive barrel, a diopter sight and the same magazine as aircraft weapons. Being equipped with bipods, they were also used in the infantry and partisan formations.
The international specialized literature contains unanimous positive assessments regarding the DP 1928 and DPM 1944 machine guns. They are considered reliable and effective weapons with a simple design. The same applies to their production. Although they were made mainly on metal-cutting machines, the cost of their production was low. Some authors consider these machine guns to be the simplest and cheapest at that time in the world.
The first version of the DP 1928 was used during the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939 by government forces and international brigades. They proved themselves well in 1938-1939 in battles with Japanese aggressors on Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol, as well as during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.

Degtyarev machine gun - DP 28

During World War II, Degtyarev's machine guns proved their reliability on all fronts. In the most difficult situations, in heat and cold, in a contaminated state, they shot accurately and accurately. German troops at the first opportunity used the weapons captured as trophies. According to the classification of the Wehrmacht weapons department, they were listed as model 120 (g) and 120/2 (g) light machine guns.
How many machine guns of this type were made is not exactly known. Soviet sources report that by January 1928 they produced a trial series of 100 units, and in 1928 the industry received a task to produce 2,500 units. The following year, this order grew to 6,500 units, of which 4,000 were infantry. 2000 aviation and 500 tank machine guns.
There is information about the measures taken by the military command to establish mass production. It was, first of all, about technological aspects, about the supply of the necessary grades of steel, about the interchangeability of parts of weapons of different models, and in general - about the constant improvement of the quality of production. For this purpose, lengthy tests were carried out at that time. They were followed by design changes aimed at improving weapons. Several experimental models of the sample 1931, 1934 and 1938 are known. During the Second World War, attempts were made to equip these machine guns with cartridge belts. However, the tests conducted by Degtyarev in 1943 ended in failure. Straight rod magazines were also unsuitable.

As for the tests of light machine guns, additional explanations are required here. The specialists were not completely satisfied with the standard machine gun, either from a technological or tactical point of view. Technical shortcomings were characteristic, first of all, of the shutter and the reciprocating mainspring. They were eliminated in the modernized version of the PDM 1944. Tactical shortcomings were expressed primarily in small ammunition.
The troops needed a maneuverable company machine gun with great firepower. Therefore, his ammunition had to be comparable to heavy machine guns. This weapon of the first line of fire was to be supplemented by heavy machine guns operating on the second line and on the flanks. Despite the rather large magazine capacity, the Degtyarev machine gun could not cope with this tactical task.
Therefore, the command in 1943 announced a competition, which was intended to supplement the standard machine gun with a new model. The Soviet literature contains information about several experimental models, which, in addition to the Degtyarev machine gun, included samples of S. G. Simonov and the then little-known designer M. T. Kalashnikov. At first, all these prototypes were designed for a 7.62 mm Mosin rifle cartridge. However, since at that time a new
shortened cartridge M 43, the efforts of the designers soon concentrated on it. The most active designers, in addition to those already mentioned, belonged to A. A. Dubinin, P. P. Polyakov, A. I. Shilin and A. I. Sudayev.
Their numerous experimental models, created either independently or as part of teams, were finalized and improved after thorough testing. As a result, samples of weapons of the required quality appeared. One of them was the RP 46 company machine gun, designed for a standard cartridge from the M 1908/30 rifle, and the other was the Degtyarev RPD light machine gun chambered for the shortened M 43 cartridge.
Although this machine gun was ready for mass production even before the start of the war, it was put into service only after 1945. Later added to it whole system the most modern machine guns, the first of which was the Kalashnikov RPK light machine gun.
Thus, the Degtyarev machine gun remained a regular weapon from the end of the twenties until the end of the Second World War. This was partly due to the lack of capacity for the production of already ready for mass production of the models mentioned above.
Since the advent of the DP 1928 machine gun, the army's need for this type of weapon has constantly grown. Despite the constant increase in production rates, machine guns were not enough until 1942-1943. Even taking into account the fact that the total number of machine guns from 1929 to 1933 increased by more than 7.5 times, and among the 105 thousand machine guns produced from 1933 to 1941, a significant part was DP 1928, the shortage was very noticeable. Only on the Western Front, by the end of September, their shortage was approximately 3,800 pieces. A sharp increase in production helped to cope with the shortage. In 1944, more than 120,000 infantry Degtyarev machine guns and about 40,000 tank machine guns were manufactured. Since these data are not taken from Soviet sources, there is no way to double-check them or compare them with the materials of Soviet authors. It is alleged that the annual production of light, heavy and heavy machine guns since 1942 has averaged 450 thousand units. At the same time, it is emphasized that the industry of the USSR from July 1941 until the end of the war delivered 78 times more machine guns to the front than tsarist Russia during the years of the First World War.
The DP machine gun and its modernized version of the PDM were in service with the GDR army. Later they were supplemented with Degtyarev RPD machine guns, and then the RPK. In addition to the USSR, DP machine guns were produced in Poland (DP, PDM) and in China under the Model 53 index.

The Dyagterev machine gun was accompanied by a box or pouch for carrying additional magazines and a box or bag for accessories. The accessories included a screwdriver wrench for disassembling and assembling a machine gun, a device for cleaning gas paths, a composite ramrod, a rod with a bristle brush, a cartridge case extractor and two punches for pushing out the stud axles.

The iron magazine box had a 180-degree opening lid and a canvas carrying handle. Also, a canvas pouch with a flap closed with a wooden button was used for shops. Inside the pouch there were metal fasteners for discs. Three stores for the Degtyarev machine gun were placed in a box or pouch. Accessories for servicing the machine gun were placed in a metal box or a canvas bag.

Characteristics: light machine gun DP 1928
Caliber, mm ............................................... ...............................................7.62
Muzzle velocity (Vq), m/s .............................................. .840*
Weapon length, mm .............................................. ......................1266
Rate of fire, rds/min....................................... ..............600
Ammunition supply ......................................... disc magazine
for (49) 47 rounds
Mass in a charged state, kg .............................................. 8.40
Mass of a full magazine, kg .............................................. .........2.82
Empty magazine weight, kg .............................................. ...........1.64
Cartridge................................................. .................................7.62x54 R
Barrel length, mm ............................................... .........................605**
Grooves/Direction ............................................................... ....................4/p
Sighting range, m ............................................... 1500
Effective firing range, m .............................................. 800
* Cartridge with a light bullet.
** Free part - 532 mm.

Appearance on Russian market hunting rifled weapons of "civilized" machine guns "Maxim" and DP-27 caused a whole wave of emotions in Runet. Probably, only the lazy did not speak out about hunting with a DP machine gun and, especially, with Maxim.

Although, in accordance with the Federal Law "On Weapons", Russian citizens have the right to own only rifled hunting weapons. The phrases "historical rifle”, “Conversion rifled weapons”, “Victory rifled weapons” and so on are simply not in the law. Therefore, if a weapon lover or collector wants to own a machine gun that fires only single shots, he can only purchase it as a "hunting weapon with a rifled barrel." Unlike mass-dimensional mock-ups (MMG), a machine gun "enclosed" in a hunting weapon is absolutely legal, it can shoot and delight the owner with all whole parts without traces of cutters and welding. The only drawback may be the need to keep it in a safe and re-register it every five years.

However, even in the form of a hunting weapon, the legendary light machine gun DP-27 (Degtyarev Infantry Model 1927) is the dream of many fans and collectors.

The sample that got into our store was released in the distant military year of 1943 in Kovrov. In 2014, at the Vyatsko-Polyansky Molot-Arms, it was converted into a DP-O (hunting).

By the standards of the late 1920s - early 1930s, for a light machine gun chambered for a powerful cartridge for the Mosin rifle (the modern cartridge designation is 7.62 * 54R), the DP-27 was very light and maneuverable. Its weight with 47 rounds equipped with a disk magazine was 11 kg 820 grams. Later, due to the abolition of a number of technological operations, the mass of the machine gun began to be almost 12 kg.

Automation works on the principle of removing part of the powder gases from the bore, locking is carried out by two lugs, which were bred to the sides when the massive drummer moved forward. Due to the long travel of the moving parts and their mass, the DP-27 had a fairly low rate of fire (500-600 rounds per minute). This made it possible to better control the machine gun during firing, significantly reduce the overexpenditure of ammunition and, as a result, avoid overheating of the weapon.

DP-27 allowed only automatic fire. Shooting was carried out from the so-called "rear sear". That is, before the shot, the bolt of the machine gun is in its rearmost position. When the trigger is pressed, the bolt carrier with the bolt under the action of the reciprocating mainspring intensively move forward, the bolt captures the cartridge from the disk magazine, sends it to the chamber and then the massive drummer pierces the primer. There is a shot. The powder gases discharged from the bore act on the bolt carrier, throwing it to its rearmost position, simultaneously extracting the spent cartridge case down. Having reached the extreme rear position, the moving parts move forward again to produce the next shot. This will be until the magazine remains cartridges or until the trigger is released. In the latter case, the moving parts will be fixed in the rearmost position by the protrusion of the sear.

In the civilian version of the DP-O, an uncoupler is installed between the trigger and the sear. Therefore, after pressing the trigger and firing, the bolt carrier with the bolt will roll back to its rearmost position and remain fixed by the sear. To fire the next shot, you will need to release and pull the trigger again.

Fully satisfying the pre-war requirements of the Red Army, the DP-27 became the most massive machine gun of the Great Patriotic War. However, the operation on the Karelian-Finnish Isthmus and the Mannerheim Line revealed some shortcomings of the machine gun. The main one was overheating from intense firing of the recoil spring located directly under the barrel shroud. From heating, the spring lost its elastic properties, which led to rapid wear of the weapon.

The barrel of the machine gun is interchangeable, but it is almost impossible to quickly change it. Heat-resistant gloves and a key from the DP-27 accessory kit were required, since the red-hot barrel was held very tightly in the seat. Spare barrels for the DP-27 were also not supposed to. However, at the time of the development of the machine gun in the late 1920s, the replacement of the barrel for a light machine gun was not required according to the terms of reference.

DP-27 and DP-O do not have manual safety devices. Initially, the DP-27 was equipped with an automatic safety, the key of which was located immediately behind the trigger guard. When covering the handle of the machine gun, the fuse is automatically turned off.

In any case, even with intensive shooting of the DP-O, there is no danger of overheating the spring, since the kit comes with only one disk magazine with a limiter for 10 rounds. Before being stored by the RF Ministry of Defense, the machine gun springs were proactively replaced with new ones, the mirror gap was verified and, if necessary, a repair stamp was put.

We also note the presence of a complete set of accessories for the machine gun. In addition to a special key for servicing the machine gun, the kit includes a massive three-knee ramrod with a handle, a spare brush for the oiler, and a torn cartridge case extractor. In the butt there is a stationary oiler with another brush.

If you do not take into account the stamps and markings of civilian weapons, as well as one "extra" screw in the cover of the disk magazine, the DP-O looks no different from the legendary DP-27!

As well as a number of other "civilized" models from the warehouses of the RF Ministry of Defense, DP-27 in the form of DP-O can be an excellent and fully functional addition to any collection.

DP (Degtyarev infantry, GAU index - 56-R-321) - a light machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev. The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military trials, as a result of which the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1927.

Machine gun DP-27 - video

One of the most pressing problems of arming the infantry that arose in the First World War was the availability of a light machine gun capable of operating in infantry combat formations in all types of combat and under any conditions, providing direct fire support to the infantry. During the war, Russia acquired light machine guns ("machine guns") from other states. However, the French Shosh machine guns, as well as the English Lewis, which had a more successful design, were worn out by the mid-1920s, the machine gun data systems were obsolete, and there was a catastrophic shortage of spare parts. Planned for 1918, the production of the Madsen machine gun (Denmark) under the Russian cartridge at the plant formed in the city of Kovrov did not take place.

In the early 20s, the issue of developing a light machine gun was put as a priority in the armaments system of the Red Army - according to generally accepted views, it was this machine gun that made it possible to solve the problem of combining movement and fire at the level of small units in the new conditions. The machine gun became the basis for the new "group tactics" of the infantry. In 22, they formed "exemplary" ("ostentatious") companies whose main task was to cultivate group tactics, as well as to saturate the infantry with automatic weapons, which were sorely lacking. When in 1924, in the new states, a machine gun squad was introduced into all rifle platoons, due to a shortage of light machine guns, it had to be armed with one heavy and one light machine gun. Work on the light machine gun was launched at the First Tula Arms Plants, the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant and the Shot range.

In Tula, F.V. Tokarev and on the courses "Shot" I.N. Kolesnikov, as a temporary solution to the problem, created an air-cooled light machine gun - of the type MG.08 / 18 (Germany) - the mass-produced machine gun "Maxim" was taken as the basis. The Design Bureau of the Kovrov Plant carried out work for the long term. In this design bureau, under the leadership of Fedorov and his student Degtyarev, experimental work was carried out on a unified family of 6.5-mm automatic weapons. The Fedorov assault rifle was taken as the basis (it should be noted that the “automatic” itself was originally called the “light machine gun”, that is, it was considered not as an individual weapon, but as a lightweight light machine gun for arming small groups of infantry). Within the framework of this family, several variants of light, easel, "universal", aviation and tank machine guns have been developed with different barrel cooling and power schemes. However, none of the universal or light machine guns of Fedorov or Fedorov-Degtyarev was accepted for mass production.

Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev (1880-1949), head of the design bureau of the Kovrov plant, began to develop his own model of a light machine gun at the end of 1923. As a basis, Degtyarev took the scheme of his own automatic carbine, which he proposed back in 1915. Then the inventor, by combining the well-known schemes of gas venting automation (side gas vent located at the bottom of the barrel), locking the bore with the help of two lugs bred by the drummer and his own solutions, received a compact system that deserved an approving official review by Fedorov. On July 22, 1924, Degtyarev presented the first prototype of a machine gun with a disk magazine. The commission was headed by N.V. Kuibyshev, Head of the Shot School, Chairman of the Rifle Committee of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.

The commission noted "the outstanding originality of the idea, the rate of fire, the failure-free operation and the considerable ease of handling of Comrade Degtyarev's system." It should be noted that at the same time the commission recommended the coaxial 6.5-mm machine gun Fedorov-Degtyarev for adoption by the air force of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. The prototype of the Degtyarev machine gun and the machine guns of Kolesnikov and Tokarev were tested on the shooting range in Kuskovo on October 6, 1924, but dropped out of the competition because the firing pin failed. The commission for the selection of a sample of a light machine gun (chairman S.M. Budyonny) soon recommended the Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun for adoption by the Red Army. It was adopted under the designation MT in 1925.

The next prototype was presented by Degtyarev in the autumn of 1926. On September 27-29, about five thousand shots were fired from two copies, while the ejector and drummer were found to have weak force, and the weapon itself is sensitive to dusting. In December, the following two machine guns were tested in adverse conditions firing, gave only 0,6% delays for 40,000 shots, but they were also returned for revision. At the same time, an improved model of Tokarev was tested, as well as the German "light machine gun" Dreyse. According to the test results, the Degtyarev sample surpassed the Tokarev conversion system and the Dreyse machine gun, which then aroused great interest among the leadership of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army and, by the way, had an option with a large-capacity disk magazine.

Despite this, Degtyarev had to make a number of changes to his design: due to a change in shape and the use of chromium-nickel steel, the bolt frame was strengthened, the piston rod and ejector were made of the same steel, and to strengthen the drummer, he was given a shape close to the shape of the Lewis machine gun drummer. It should be noted that some design solutions in the Degtyarev machine guns were made under the clear influence of the thoroughly studied Madsen, Lewis and Hotchkiss light machine guns (the Kovrov plant had complete sets of drawings, as well as ready-made Madsen samples, during the Civil War Lewis machine guns were repaired here). However, in general, the weapon had a new and original design.

Two copies of the Degtyarev machine gun after completion were tested by the commission of the Artillery Committee of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army at the Kovrov plant on January 17-21, 1927. The machine guns were deemed to have passed the test. On February 20, the Commission also recognized "it is possible to present machine guns as samples for all subsequent work and considerations for installing them in production." Without waiting for the results of improvements, it was decided to issue an order for one hundred machine guns. On March 26, Artkom approved the Temporary Specifications for the acceptance of the Degtyarev light machine gun developed by the Design Bureau of the Kovrov Plant.

The first batch of 10 machine guns was presented to military acceptance on November 12, 1927, and the military receiver fully accepted a batch of 100 machine guns on January 3, 1928. On January 11, the Revolutionary Military Council instructed to transfer 60 machine guns for military trials. In addition, the machine guns were sent to the military educational institutions of various military districts, so that, simultaneously with the tests, the command staff could get acquainted with the new weapon during camp training. Military and field tests continued throughout the year. According to the results of tests conducted in February at the Scientific Testing Weapons and Machine-Gun Range and the Shot courses, it was recommended to add a flash suppressor to the design, designed to reduce the unmasking and blinding effects of muzzle flame at dusk and at night. In addition, a number of other comments were made.

In August 1928, an improved sample was tested with a flame arrester and a slightly modified gas chamber regulator pipe. For 27-28 years, they issued an order for 2.5 thousand machine guns. At the same time, at a special meeting on June 15, 1928, in which the heads of the Main Military Industrial Directorate and the People's Commissariat of Defense took part, recognizing the difficulties of setting up large-scale production of a new machine gun, they set 29-30 years as the deadline for its establishment with completely interchangeable parts. At the end of 28, it was decided to stop the production of MT machine guns (Maxim-Tokarev). As a result, the Degtyarev light machine gun ended up in the Red Army before its official adoption. The machine gun was adopted under the designation "7.62-mm light machine gun mod. 1927" or DP ("Degtyareva, infantry"), the designation DP-27 was also encountered. The Degtyarev machine gun became the first domestically developed mass machine gun and brought its author to the ranks of the country's main and most authoritative gunsmiths.

The main parts of the machine gun: a replaceable barrel with a flame arrester and a gas chamber; receiver with sighting device; cylindrical barrel casing with front sight and guide tube; shutter with a drummer; bolt carrier and piston rod; reciprocating mainspring; trigger frame with stock and trigger mechanism; disk store; folding removable bipod.

The barrel in the receiver was fastened with intermittent screw protrusions, a flag lock was used for fixation. On the middle part of the barrel there were 26 transverse ribs designed to improve cooling. However, in practice it turned out that the efficiency of this radiator was very low and, starting in 1938, the fins were eliminated, which simplified production. A conical flame arrester was attached to the muzzle of the barrel using a threaded connection. During the march, the flame arrester was mounted upside down to reduce the length of the DP.

And the automation of the machine gun was implemented by the scheme of work due to the removal of powder gases through the side opening. The hole was made in the wall of the barrel at a distance of 185 millimeters from the muzzle. The gas piston had a long stroke. Gas chamber - open type, with a branch pipe. The piston rod is rigidly connected to the bolt frame and the reciprocating mainspring, put on the rod, were placed under the barrel in the guide tube. The gas piston was screwed onto the front end of the rod, while fixing the reciprocating mainspring. With the help of a pipe regulator having two gas outlet holes with a diameter of 3 and 4 millimeters, the amount of discharged powder gases was adjusted. The barrel bore was locked using a pair of lugs mounted on the sides of the bolt on hinges and bred by the extended rear part of the firing pin.

The trigger mechanism consisted of a trigger, a trigger lever with a sear, and an automatic fuse. The trigger was propped up by a fuse from behind. To turn it off, you need to completely cover the neck of the butt with your palm. USM was designed only for continuous fire.

The store, which was attached to the top of the receiver, consisted of a pair of disks and a spring. The cartridges in the store were placed along the radius with the toe of the bullet towards the center. By the force of a snail-shaped coil spring, which was twisted when the magazine was loaded, the upper disk rotated relative to the lower one, while cartridges were fed to the receiver window. The store of this design was developed earlier for the Fedorov air machine gun. Initially, the requirements for a light machine gun assumed that the power system would have 50 rounds, however, the Fedorov disk magazine for fifty 6.5 mm rounds was ready for production, it was decided to keep its basic dimensions, reducing the drum capacity to 49 7, 62 mm cartridges.

It must be answered that the design of the magazine with a radial placement of cartridges was able to solve the problem of the reliability of the power supply system when using a domestic rifle cartridge with a protruding sleeve rim. However, the magazine capacity was soon reduced to 47 rounds as the spring force was not enough to feed the last rounds. Radial vyshtampovki discs and ring stiffeners were designed to reduce their death during concussions and impacts, as well as reduce the likelihood of "jamming" of the store. A spring-loaded magazine latch was mounted in the sight block. On the march, the receiver receiver window was covered with a special shield, which was moved forward before installing the store. To equip the store, a special PSM device was used. It should be noted that the magazine having a diameter of 265 millimeters created some inconvenience when carrying a machine gun during the battle. After using up part of the ammunition, the remaining cartridges during movement created a noticeable noise. In addition, the weakening of the spring led to the fact that the last cartridges remained in the magazine - because of this, the calculations preferred not to fully equip the magazine.

As in many machine guns, designed for a significant heating of the barrel and intense bursts of fire, the shot was fired from the rear sear. The bolt frame with the bolt before the first shot was in the rear position, held by a sear, while the reciprocating mainspring was compressed (compression force was 11 kgf). The trigger lever, when the trigger was pressed, fell, the bolt carrier fell off the sear and moved forward, pushing the bolt and drummer with its vertical stand. The shutter captured a cartridge from the receiver, sent it into the chamber, resting against the stump of the barrel. During the further movement of the bolt carrier, the drummer pushed the lugs apart with its widened part, the support planes of the lugs entered the lugs of the receiver. This locking scheme was very reminiscent of the Swedish Chelman automatic rifle, which was tested in Russia in 1910 (although the rifle combined locking according to the Friberg-Chelman scheme and automation based on the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke). The drummer and bolt carrier after locking continued to move forward for another 8 millimeters, the striker head reached the cartridge primer, breaking it, a shot occurred.

After the bullet passed the vent holes, powder gases entered the gas chamber, hit the piston, which covered the chamber with its bell, and threw the bolt frame back. After the drummer passed about 8 millimeters through the frame, he released the lugs, after which the lugs were reduced by the bevels of the figured recess of the frame, the barrel bore was unlocked on the way of 12 millimeters, the bolt was picked up by the bolt frame and retracted. At the same time, the ejector removed the spent cartridge case, which, hitting the drummer, was thrown out through the window of the receiver in the lower part. The course of the bolt carrier was equal to 149 mm (shutter - 136 mm). After that, the bolt carrier hit the trigger frame and went forward under the action of a reciprocating mainspring. If at this moment the trigger was pressed, the automation cycle was repeated. In the event that the hook was released, the bolt carrier stood on the sear with its combat cocking, stopping in the rear position. At the same time, the machine gun was ready for the next shot - the presence of only one automatic descent safety device created the danger of an involuntary shot while moving with a loaded machine gun. In this regard, it was stated in the instructions that the loading of the machine gun should be carried out only after taking up a position.

The machine gun was equipped with a sector sight with a high block, which was mounted on the receiver, and a bar with notches up to 1500 meters (100 m step), and a front sight with protective "ears". The front sight was inserted into a groove on the ledge of the barrel casing, which resembled the casing of a Madsen light machine gun. The magazine latch also served as protective "ears" for the sight. The wooden butt was made according to the Madsen machine gun type, had a semi-pistol neck protrusion and an upper ridge that improved the machine gunner's head position. The length of the butt from the trigger to the back of the head was 360 millimeters, the width of the butt was 42 millimeters. An oiler was placed in the butt. In the wider lower part of the butt of the DP-27 machine gun there was a vertical channel designed for the rear retractable support, but serial machine guns were produced without such a support, and later the channel in the butt was no longer made. On the casing of the barrel and on the left of the butt, sling swivels were fixed. The bipods were fastened with a folding clamp having a wing screw on the barrel casing, their legs were equipped with openers.

When firing, the machine gun showed good accuracy: the dispersion core during firing with “normal” bursts (from 4 to 6 shots) at a distance of 100 meters was up to 170 mm (in height and width), at 200 meters - 350 mm, at 500 meters - 850 mm, at 800 meters - 1600 mm (height) and 1250 mm (width), 1 thousand meters - 2100 mm (height) and 1850 mm (width). During firing in short bursts (up to 3 shots), the accuracy increased - for example, at a distance of 500 meters, the dispersion core was already 650 mm, and at 1,000 m - 1650x1400 mm.

The DP machine gun consisted of 68 parts (without a magazine), of which 4 helical springs and 10 screws (for comparison, the number of parts of the German Dreyse light machine gun was 96, the American Browning BAR model 1922 - 125, the Czech ZB-26 - 143 ). The use of the bolt carrier as the bottom cover of the receiver, as well as the application of the principle of multifunctionality when using other parts, made it possible to significantly reduce the weight and dimensions of the structure. The advantages of this machine gun also included the simplicity of its disassembly. The machine gun could be disassembled into large parts, and with the removal of the bolt carrier, the main parts were separated. Belonging to the Degtyarev machine gun included a collapsible ramrod, a brush, two punches, a screwdriver key, a device for cleaning gas paths, wiping, an extractor for torn-off barrels of shells (the situation with the rupture of shells in the chamber of a machine gun of the Degtyarev system was observed for quite a long time). Spare barrels - two per machine gun - were supplied to the special. boxes. A canvas cover was used to carry and store the machine gun. To fire blank cartridges, a muzzle sleeve with an outlet diameter of 4 mm and a special magazine with a window for blank cartridges were used.

The production of machine guns of the DP series was supplied and carried out by the Kovrov Plant (State Union Plant named after K.O. Kirkizh, Plant No. 2 of the People's Commissariat for Armaments, since 1949 - Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev). The infantry Degtyarev was notable for its ease of manufacture - its production required two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver, and three times less than for a rifle. The number of technological operations was four times less than for the Maxim machine gun and three times less than for the MT. Degtyarev's many years of experience as a practicing gunsmith and cooperation with the outstanding gunsmith V.G. Fedorov. In the process of setting up production, changes were made to the heat treatment of the most critical parts, new processing standards were introduced, and steel grades were selected. It can be assumed that one of the main roles in ensuring the required accuracy during large-scale production of automatic weapons with complete interchangeability of parts was played by cooperation in the 20s with German specialists, machine tool and weapons firms. Fedorov invested a lot of work and energy in setting up the production of the Degtyarev machine gun and in standardizing the production of weapons on this basis - during these works, the so-called "Fedorov's normals" were introduced into production, that is, a system of landings and tolerances designed to improve the accuracy of weapons production. A great contribution to the organization of the production of this machine gun was also made by engineer G.A. Aparin, who set up tool and pattern production at the plant.

The DP order for 1928 and 1929 was already 6.5 thousand pieces (of which 500 tank, 2000 aviation and 4000 infantry). After tests in March-April 30 by a special commission of 13 serial Degtyarev machine guns for survivability, Fedorov stated that "the survivability of the machine gun was raised to 75 - 100 thousand shots", and "the survivability of the least resistant parts (strike and ejectors) up to 25 - 30 thousand .shots".

In the 1920s in different countries various light machine guns with magazine feed were created - the French "Hotchkiss" arr. 1922 and Mle 1924 Chatellerault, Czech ZB-26, English Vickers-Berthier, Swiss Solothurn M29 and Furrer M25, Italian Breda, Finnish M1926 Lahti-Zaloranta, Japanese Type 11 . The Degtyarev machine gun favorably differed from most of them by its relatively high reliability and larger magazine capacity. It should be noted that at the same time as the DP, another important means of supporting the infantry was adopted - the 76-mm regimental gun of the 1927 model.

YES, DT and others

Since by the time the DP was adopted in the Soviet Union, the need for unification of machine guns was recognized, other types were developed on the basis of the Degtyarev machine gun - primarily aviation and tank. Here again, the experience of developing Fedorov's unified weapons came in handy.

As early as May 17, 1926, Artkom approved those. assignment for the design of a unified rapid-fire machine gun, which would be used as a manual in cavalry and infantry, and synchronized and turret in aviation. But the creation of an aviation machine gun based on an infantry one turned out to be more realistic. The practice of "transforming" a light machine gun into a mobile aircraft gun (on pivot, single turrets, twin turrets) was used back in the First World War. In the period from December 27 to February 28, the aviation version of the Degtyarev machine gun (“Degtyarev, aviation”, YES) was tested. The Scientific and Technical Committee of the Office of the Air Force of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army considered it "possible to approve the submitted sample" of the Degtyarev machine gun for accounting in terms of a serial order. In 1928, simultaneously with the fixed PV-1 machine gun designed by A.V. Nadashkevich, created on the basis of the Maxim easel machine gun, the DA turret aircraft machine gun was adopted by the air force, which has a three-row (three-tier) magazine for 65 rounds, a pistol grip, and new sights with a weather vane-front sight.

A faceplate was screwed to the front of the receiver of the Degtyarev aircraft machine gun. A kingpin was attached to its lower part, having a curved swivel for mounting on the installation. Instead of a stock, a notched wooden pistol grip and a rear grip were installed. A bushing with an annular sight was fixed on top of the front, a bushing with a stand for a weather vane-front sight was attached to the thread in the muzzle of the barrel. Since the casing was removed and the faceplate was installed, there were changes in the fastening of the gas piston guide tube. From above, the store was equipped with a belt handle for quick and easy change. To ensure shooting in a limited volume, as well as to prevent the spent cartridges from falling into the mechanisms of the aircraft, a canvas sleeve bag with a wire frame and a lower fastener was installed on the bottom of the receiver. It should be noted that in order to search for the best frame configuration that will ensure reliable removal of cartridge cases without jamming, slow motion filming of work was used in domestic practice for the first time. The mass of the DA machine gun was 7.1 kg (without magazine), the length from the edge of the rear handle to the muzzle was 940 millimeters, the mass of the magazine was 1.73 kg (without cartridges). As of March 30, 1930, the Red Army Air Force units had 1,200 DA machine guns and a thousand machine guns were prepared for surrender.

In 1930, the DA-2 twin turret mount also entered service - its development based on the Degtyarev aircraft machine gun was ordered by the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Air Force Administration in 1927 to the Arms and Machine Gun Trust. The faceplate, located in front of the receiver, on each machine gun was replaced by a front mount clutch. For fastening on the installation, the side tides of the couplings were used, to hold the gas piston tube - the lower ones. The rear attachment of the machine guns on the installation was the coupling bolts that passed through the holes made in the rear tides of the receiver. N.V. took part in the development of the installation. Rukavishnikov and I.I. Bezrukov. The hook of the general descent was mounted on the pistol grip of the right machine gun in an additional trigger guard. The trigger rod was attached to the holes of the trigger guards.

The thrust consisted of an adjusting rod and a connecting shaft. On the left machine gun, the fuse box and the handle of the bolt carrier were not moved to the left side; a bracket for a weather vane was installed on its barrel. Since the recoil of the twin machine guns was very sensitive to the installation and the shooter, active-type muzzle brakes were installed on the machine guns. The muzzle brake had the form of a kind of parachutes. Behind the muzzle brake there was a special disk that protected the shooter from the muzzle wave - later a brake of such a scheme was installed on a large-caliber DShK. The machine guns were connected to the turret through a king pin. The installation was equipped with a chin rest and a shoulder rest (until 1932 the machine gun had a chest rest). The weight of the DA-2 with equipped magazines and a weather vane was 25 kilograms, the length was 1140 millimeters, the width was 300 millimeters, the distance between the axes of the barrel channels was 193 ± 1 millimeters. It is curious that the DA and DA-2 were adopted by the Air Force Administration without formalizing the order of the People's Commissariat of Defense. These machine guns were placed on the Tur-5 and Tur-6 turrets, as well as in aircraft retractable machine gun turrets. DA-2 having a different sight tried to install on light tank BT-2. Later, DA, DA-2 and PV-1 were replaced by a special aviation rapid-fire machine gun ShKAS.

The weapons and machine-gun trust, which, among others, was in charge of the Kovrov plant, August 17, 1928. informed the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army about the readiness of a tank machine gun based on the Degtyarev machine gun. On June 12, 1929, after carrying out the appropriate tests, the DT tank machine gun (“Degtyareva, tank”, also referred to as the “tank machine gun of the 1929 model of the year”) in a ball mount, developed by G.S. Shpagin. The adoption of this machine gun coincided with the deployment of serial production of tanks - Degtyarev tank replaced the coaxial 6.5-mm Fedorov tank machine gun, which was already installed on armored vehicles, began to be installed on T-24, MS-1 tanks, BA-27 armored vehicles, on all armored vehicles.

The Degtyarev tank machine gun did not have a barrel cover. The barrel itself was distinguished by additional turning of the ribs. The DP was equipped with a retractable metal buttstock with a folding shoulder support, a pistol grip, a compact two-row disc magazine for 63 rounds, and a sleeve catcher. The fuse and pistol grip were the same as those of YES. The flag fuse, placed on the right above the trigger guard, was made in the form of a check with a beveled axis. The back position of the flag corresponded to the state of "fire", the front - "fuse". Sight - diopter rack. The diopter was made on a special vertical engine and, using spring-loaded latches, was installed in several fixed positions, which corresponded to ranges of 400, 600, 800 and 1000 meters. The sight was equipped with an adjusting screw for sighting. The front sight was not installed on the machine gun - it was fixed in the front disc of the ball mount. In some cases, the machine gun was removed from the installation and used outside the car, so the DT was attached to a bracket with a front sight and a removable bipod mounted on a faceplate. The weight of the machine gun with the magazine was 10.25 kilograms, the length was 1138 millimeters, the combat rate of fire was 100 rounds per minute.

The Degtyarev tank machine gun was used as a coaxial machine gun with a heavy machine gun or a tank gun, as well as on a special anti-aircraft tank installation. During the Second World War, the Degtyarev tank was often used as a manual one - the combat rate of fire of this machine gun turned out to be twice as high as that of the infantry model.

It should be noted that already at the beginning of the Second World War, a variant was developed to replace the DT with a "tank" submachine gun with a large ammunition load (it was developed on the basis of the PPSh). At the end of World War II, the Finns made an attempt to do the same on captured tanks using their own Suomi. However, in both cases, DT machine guns remained on armored vehicles and tanks. On Soviet tanks only the SGMT could replace the Degtyarev tank machine gun. An interesting fact is that after the forced “decorative” alteration of armored vehicles and tanks in the Military History Museum of armored weapons and equipment in Degtyarev’s Kubinka, the tank machine gun turned out to be an “international” machine gun - on in large numbers foreign machines with the help of DT barrels imitate "native" machine gun installations.

Note that in the 31st, 34th and 38th years of the last century, Degtyarev presented modernized versions of the DP. In 1936, he proposed a lightweight airborne version without a casing, with reinforced fins and locking with one lugs, in addition, the machine gun was equipped with a compact sector-shaped box magazine. Then the designer presented a machine gun with the same magazine, with the reciprocating mainspring being transferred to the butt. Both machine guns remained experienced. A sight with the possibility of introducing lateral corrections was experimentally installed on the DP, equipped with a DP optical sight was tested in 1935 - the idea of ​​​​supplying light machine guns with an optical sight was popular for a long time, even despite unsuccessful practice.

Degtyarev tank machine gun with PPU-8T telescopic machine gun sight and armored mask

After the fighting on Khasan Island in 1938, a proposal was received from the commanding staff to adopt a light machine gun with a power supply system similar to the Japanese Type 11 machine guns - with a permanent magazine equipped with cartridges from rifle clips. This proposal was actively supported by G.I. Kulik, head of the GAU. Kovrovites presented a variant of the Degtyarev light machine gun with a Razorenov and Kupinov receiver for clips from a rifle of the 1891/1930 model, but very soon the question of such a receiver was rightly removed - practice forced them to abandon the clip or batch power supply of light machine guns, leaving military specialists and gunsmiths before choosing "tape or magazine".

For a long time, Degtyarev worked on the creation of a universal (single) and easel machine gun. In June-August 28, Artkom, on the instructions of the Headquarters of the Red Army, developed tactical and technical requirements for a new heavy machine gun - the basis of the machine gun, for the purpose of unification, was to be taken by the Degtyarev infantry machine gun under the same cartridge, but with belt feed. Already in 1930, the designer presented an experimental machine gun with a universal Kolesnikov machine tool, a tape power receiver (Shpagin system) and a reinforced barrel radiator. Fine-tuning the Degtyarev easel machine gun ("Degtyarev, easel", DS) dragged on until the end of the 1930s and did not give positive results. In 1936, Degtyarev presented a universal modification of the DP, which has a lightweight folding integral tripod machine and a mount for a folding anti-aircraft ring sight. This sample also did not advance further than the experimental one. The weakness of regular bipods was the reason for the limited use of installations with additional rods with the Degtyarev infantry machine gun, which form a triangular structure with bipods. The system of locking the bore and automation, embodied in the Degtyarev machine gun, was also used in a heavy machine gun and an experimental automatic rifle developed by Degtyarev. Even the first Degtyarev submachine gun, developed in 1929 with a semi-free shutter, carried the design features of the DP machine gun. The designer sought to realize the idea of ​​Fedorov, his teacher, about a unified family of weapons based on his own system.

At the beginning of the Second World War, in the Degtyarevsk KB-2 of the Kovrov Plant, they experimentally created the so-called “heavy fire installation” - a quad-mounted DP (DT) installation for arming infantry, cavalry, armored vehicles, light tanks, as well as the needs air defense. The machine guns were mounted in two rows or in a horizontal plane and were supplied with regular disc magazines or box magazines for 20 rounds. In the "anti-aircraft" and "infantry" versions, the installation was mounted on a universal Kolesnikov machine designed for a large-caliber DShK. The rate of fire is 2000 rounds per minute. However, this way of "fighting for the rate of fire" did not justify itself, and the effect of recoil on the installation and dispersion was too great.

DP machine gun disk magazine, bottom view.

DP machine gun service

The Degtyarev machine gun became the most massive machine gun of the Armed Forces of the USSR for two decades - and these years were the most "military". The DP machine gun went through its baptism of fire during the conflict on the CER in the border units of the OGPU - therefore, in April 1929, the Kovrov Plant received an additional order for the production of these machine guns. The DP machine gun, as part of the troops of the United State Political Administration, fought in Central Asia with Basmachi bandit formations. Later, the DP was used by the Red Army in the fighting on Khasan Island and on the Khalkhin Gol River. Together with other Soviet weapons, he "took part" in the Spanish Civil War (here the DP had to "fight side by side" with his long-time competitor, the MG13 Dreyse), in the war in China, in 39-40 he fought on the Karelian Isthmus. Modifications of the DT and DA-2 (on the R-5 and TB-3 aircraft) went almost the same way, so we can say that by the beginning of the Second World War, the Degtyarev machine gun had been combat tested in a variety of conditions.

In rifle units, the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was introduced into the rifle platoon and squad, in cavalry - into saber squads. In both cases, a light machine gun, together with a rifle grenade launcher, was the main support weapon. DP with a notch sight up to 1.5 thousand meters was intended to destroy important single and open group targets at ranges up to 1.2 thousand meters, small live single targets - up to 800 meters, defeat low-flying aircraft - up to 500 meters, as well as for tank support by shelling PTS crews. The shelling of the viewing slots of armored vehicles and enemy tanks sat down from 100-200 meters. The fire was fired in short bursts of 2-3 shots or bursts of 6 shots, continuous continuous fire was allowed only in extreme cases. Machine gunners with extensive experience could conduct aimed fire with single shots. Calculation of a machine gun - 2 people - a machine gunner ("gunner") and an assistant ("second number"). The assistant carried stores in a special box designed for three disks. To bring ammunition to the calculation, two more fighters were attached. For the transportation of DP in the cavalry, a VD saddle pack was used.

To destroy air targets, an anti-aircraft tripod of the 1928 model, designed for the Maxim machine gun, could be used. They also developed special motorcycle installations: the M-72 motorcycle had a simple swivel frame, hinged on the sidecar, boxes with spare parts and discs were placed between the sidecar and the motorcycle and on the trunk. The machine gun mount allowed anti-aircraft fire from the knee without removing it. On the TIZ-AM-600 motorcycle, the DT was mounted above the steering wheel on a special bracket. To reduce the cost of training and the use of small shooting ranges, a 5.6-mm Blum training machine gun, which used a rimfire cartridge and an original disk magazine, could be attached to the Degtyarev machine gun.

Disk shop machine gun DP, top view.

The DP machine gun quickly gained popularity, as it successfully combined the power of fire and maneuverability. However, along with the advantages, the machine gun also had some disadvantages that manifested themselves during operation. First of all, this concerned the inconvenience of operation and the features of the equipment of the disk magazine. The quick replacement of a hot barrel was complicated by the absence of a handle on it, as well as the need to separate the nozzle and bipod. The replacement, even under favorable conditions, took about 30 seconds for a trained crew. The open gas chamber located under the barrel prevented the accumulation of soot in the gas outlet unit, but together with the open bolt carrier increased the likelihood of clogging on sandy soils. The clogging of the gas piston socket and the screwing of its head caused the moving part to not reach the forward extreme position. However, the automation of the machine gun as a whole demonstrated a fairly high reliability. The fastening of the antabok and bipod was unreliable and created additional catchy details that reduced the ease of carrying. Working with the gas regulator was also inconvenient - to rearrange it, the cotter pin was removed, the nut was unscrewed, the regulator settled back, turned and fixed again. It was possible to fire while moving only using a belt, and the lack of a forearm and a large magazine made such shooting inconvenient. The machine gunner put on a belt in the form of a loop around his neck, fastened it in front of the store to the cutout of the casing with a swivel, and a mitten was needed to hold the machine gun by the casing.

In the armament of rifle divisions, the share of machine guns was constantly increasing, primarily due to light machine guns - if in 1925 a rifle division for 15.3 thousand people. personnel had 74 heavy machine guns, then already in 1929 for 12.8 thousand people. there were 81 light and 189 machine guns. In 1935, these figures for 13 thousand people already amounted to 354 light and 180 machine guns. In the Red Army, as in some other armies, a light machine gun was the main means of saturating troops with automatic weapons.

The state of April 1941 (the last pre-war) provided for the following ratios:

Rifle division of wartime - for 14483 people. personnel had 174 easel and 392 light machine guns;

Reduced division - for 5864 people. personnel had 163 easel and 324 light machine guns;

Mountain rifle division - for 8829 people. personnel had 110 easel and 314 light machine guns.

Type 53 - Chinese version of the DPM.

The DP was in service with the cavalry, marines, and NKVD troops. Second World War, which began in Europe, a clear percentage increase in the number of automatic weapons in the German Wehrmacht, the ongoing reorganization of the Red Army required an increase in the production of tank and light machine guns, as well as changes in the organization of production. In 1940, they began to increase the production capacity of light machine guns used in the production. By this time, the technology for manufacturing barrel bores by mandrel had already been worked out, which made it possible to speed up the production of barrels by several times and significantly reduce the cost - along with the transition to the use of barrels with a cylindrical smooth outer surface, it played an important role in increasing the production and reducing the cost of Degtyarev infantry machine guns. The order for 1941, approved on February 7, included 39,000 Degtyarev infantry and tank machine guns. On April 17, 1941, the WGC for the production of DT and DP machine guns worked at the Kovrov Plant No. 2. Since April 30, the production of DP machine guns has been deployed in the new building "L". The People's Commissariat for Armaments gave the new production the rights of a branch of the enterprise (later - a separate Kovrov Mechanical Plant).

From 1939 to mid-1941, the number of light machine guns in the troops increased by 44%, on June 22, 41, there were 170.4 thousand light machine guns in the Red Army. This type weapons was one of those to which the formations western districts were provided even beyond the state. For example, in the Fifth Army of the Kyiv Special Military District, the staffing with light machine guns was about 114.5%. During this period, Degtyarev’s tank machine guns received an interesting application - by the Directive of the General Staff of May 16, 1941, 50 newly formed tank regiments of mechanized corps, before being equipped with tanks to fight enemy armored vehicles, received guns, as well as 80 DT machine guns per regiment - for self-defense. Degtyarev tank during the war was also placed on combat snowmobiles.

With the beginning of the Second World War, the obsolete DA-2s found a new application - as anti-aircraft machine guns to combat aircraft flying at low altitude. On July 16, 1941, Osipov, Head of the Main Directorate of Air Defense, wrote to Yakovlev, Head of the GAU: “The shortage of anti-aircraft machine guns can be largely eliminated if for short term to adapt up to 1.5 thousand coaxial DA-2 machine guns and the same number of PV-1 machine guns removed from aircraft for anti-aircraft fire. To do this, the DA and DA-2 machine guns were mounted on an anti-aircraft tripod of the 1928 model through the pivot - in particular, such installations were used near Leningrad in 1941. The weather vane-front sight was replaced by an annular one from a machine-gun anti-aircraft sight. In addition, DA-2s were installed on the U-2 (Po-2) light night bomber.

Red Army soldiers near a dugout in Stalingrad are busy cleaning weapons, PPSh-41 submachine guns and a DP-27 machine gun

During the Second World War, shop No. 1 of plant No. 2 became the main manufacturer of machine guns for infantry and tank machine guns of Degtyarev, their production was also delivered in the Urals, DP and at the Arsenal plant (Leningrad). In the conditions of military production, it was necessary to reduce the requirements for finishing small arms - for example, the finishing of external parts and parts not involved in the operation of automation was canceled. In addition, the norms for spare parts and accessories were reduced - instead of 22 disks for each machine gun laid down before the start of the war, only 12 were given. Despite this, all technological documentation was carried out “according to the letter B”, that is, it required strict adherence to all standards and did not allow changes in the form, materials of parts and sizes at all factories involved in the production. The release of light machine guns, despite the difficult conditions, remained relatively stable. V.N. Novikov, Deputy People's Commissar for Armaments, wrote in his memoirs: "This machine gun did not cause much tension in the People's Commissariat for Armaments." For the second half of the 41st year, the troops received 45,300 light machine guns, in the year 42 - 172,800, in the 43rd - 250,200, in the 44th - 179,700. As of May 9, 1945, there were 390 thousand light machine guns in the active army. During the entire war, the loss of light machine guns amounted to 427.5 thousand pieces, that is, 51.3% shared resource(taking into account delivered during the war and pre-war stocks).

The scale of the use of machine guns can be judged by the following figures. GAU in the period from July to November 1942 handed over 5,302 machine guns of all types to the fronts of the southwestern direction. In March-July 1943, in preparation for the Battle of Kursk, the troops of the Steppe, Voronezh, Central Fronts and the Eleventh Army received 31.6 thousand light and heavy machine guns. The troops that went on the offensive near Kursk had 60.7 thousand machine guns of all types. In April 1944, by the beginning of the Crimean operation, the troops of the Separate Primorsky Army, the Fourth Ukrainian Front and air defense units had 10622 heavy and light machine guns (approximately 1 machine gun for 43 personnel). In the armament of the infantry, the share of machine guns also changed. If a rifle company in July 1941 in the state had 6 light machine guns, a year later - 12 light machine guns, in 1943 - 1 easel and 18 light machine guns, and in December 44 - 2 easel and 12 light machine guns. That is, during the war, the number of machine guns in a rifle company, the main tactical unit, more than doubled. If in July 41 in service rifle division there were 270 machine guns various types, then in December of the same year - 359, a year later this figure was already - 605, and in June of the 45th year - 561. The decrease in the share of machine guns by the end of the war is due to an increase in the number of submachine guns. Applications for light machine guns were declining, so only 14,500 were delivered from January 1 to May 10, 1945 (in addition, modernized DPs were delivered at that time). By the end of the war, the rifle regiment had 108 light and 54 heavy machine guns for 2,398 people.

During the war, the rules for the use of a machine gun were also revised, although this was required to a lesser extent with regard to manual ones. The “Combat Charter of the Infantry” of 1942, the range of opening fire from a light machine gun was set from a distance of 800 meters, but sudden fire from a range of 600 meters was also recommended as the most effective. In addition, the division of the battle formation into "fettering" and "shock" groups was canceled. Now the light machine gun in various conditions acted in the chain of platoon and squad. Now the main thing for him was considered to be fire in short bursts, the combat rate of fire was 80 rounds per minute.

Ski units in winter conditions carried machine guns "Maxim" and DP on drag boats in a state of readiness to open fire. To drop machine guns to partisans and paratroopers, a parachute landing bag PDMM-42 was used. At the beginning of the war, paratroopers-machine gunners had already mastered jumping with standard Degtyarev infantry machine guns on a belt; instead, they often used a “manual” version of a more compact tank machine gun, with a larger magazine that was less prone to death. In general, the Degtyarev machine gun turned out to be a very reliable weapon. This was also recognized by opponents - for example, captured DPs were willingly used by Finnish machine gunners.

However, the experience of using the Degtyarev infantry machine gun indicated the need for a lighter and more compact model while maintaining ballistic characteristics. In 1942, a competition was announced for the development of a new light machine gun system, the weight of which does not exceed 7.5 kilograms. From July 6 to July 21, 1942, experimental machine guns developed at the Degtyarev Design Bureau (with magazine and belt feed), as well as the developments of Vladimirov, Simonov, Goryunov, as well as novice designers, including Kalashnikov, passed field tests. All samples submitted for these tests received a list of comments for improvement, however, as a result, the competition did not give an acceptable sample.

DPM - modernized machine gun Degtyarev

DPM light machine gun

The work on the modernization of the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was more successful, especially since the production of the modernized version can be carried out much faster. At that time, several design teams worked at plant No. 2, solving their own range of tasks. And if KB-2, under the leadership of V.A. Degtyarev, mainly worked on new designs, then the tasks of modernizing manufactured samples were solved in the Department of the Chief Designer. The work on the modernization of machine guns was led by A.I. Shilin, however, Degtyarev himself did not let them out of sight. Under his control, a group of designers, which included P.P. Polyakov, A.A. Dubynin, A.I. Skvortsov A.G. Belyaev, carried out work on the modernization of the DP in 1944. The main goal of these works was to increase the controllability and reliability of the machine gun. N.D. Yakovlev, head of the GAU, and D.F. Ustinov, People's Commissar for Armaments, in August 1944, submitted for approval by the State. Committee of Defense changes made to the design, indicating at the same time: “In connection with the design changes in the modernized machine guns:

The survivability of the reciprocating mainspring is increased, it became possible to replace it without removing the machine gun from the firing position;
- the possibility of losing bipods is excluded;
- improved accuracy and accuracy of fire;
- improves usability in combat conditions.

By the GKO decision of October 14, 1944, the changes were approved. The machine gun was adopted under the designation DPM ("Degtyareva, infantry, modernized").

DPM machine gun differences:

The reciprocating mainspring from under the barrel, where it heated up and gave a draft, was transferred to the back of the receiver (they tried to move the spring back in 1931, this can be seen from the experimental Degtyarev machine gun presented at that time). To install the spring, a tubular rod was put on the tail of the drummer, and a guide tube was inserted into the butt plate, which protruded above the neck of the butt. In this regard, the coupling was excluded, and the rod was made as a single piece with the piston. In addition, the order of disassembly has changed - now it starts with a guide tube and a reciprocating mainspring. The same changes were made to the Degtyarev tank machine gun (DTM). This made it possible to disassemble the machine gun and fix minor malfunctions without removing it from the ball mount;
- installed a pistol grip in the form of a slope, which was welded to the trigger guard, and two wooden cheeks, fastened to it with screws;
- simplified the shape of the butt;
- on a light machine gun, instead of an automatic fuse, a non-automatic flag fuse was introduced, similar to the Degtyarev tank machine gun - the beveled axis of the fuse pin was under the trigger lever. Locking occurred at the front position of the flag. This fuse was more reliable, as it acted on a sear, which made it safer to carry a loaded machine gun;
- the leaf spring in the ejection mechanism was replaced by a helical coil spring. The ejector was installed in the bolt socket, and a pin was used to hold it, which also served as its axis;
- folding bipods were made integral, and the mounting hinges were moved slightly back and higher relative to the axis of the bore. A clamp of two welded plates was installed on the upper part of the casing, which formed lugs for attaching the bipod legs with screws. The bipods have become stronger. To replace their barrel, it was not required to separate;
- the mass of the machine gun has decreased.